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DEDICATION OF 

THE ORISKAM MONUMENT, 

August 6, 1884. 



The monument erected by the Oneida Historical Society to 
mark the spot where one hundred and seven years before the 
battle of Oriskany was fought and General Herkimer fell, was 
dedicated August 6, 1884. The exercises were appropriate and 
successful in every way. The day was fine, and the attendance 
good. 

The little village of Oriskany and people living in the neighbor- 
hood joined in the spirit of the day and welcomed tlio visitors by 
numerous and profuse decorations of bunting and evei'green. 

When the exercises began there were about six thousand 
persons present. They came not only from Utica and Rome and 
intermediate points, but from points east of Utica and in the 
northern part of the county. They came in the cars, in canfl 
steamboats, carryalls, hacks, cai-riages and wagons. They came 
on foot, on wheels and on horseback by hundreds and thousands. 
The fences surrounding the fields in the neighborhood of the 
monument, were lined with vehicles of every description. As the 
sun shone brightly, every tree and bush was surrounded by a 
group eager to enjoy the shade. 

The monument is fully desci-ibed in the address of Hon. John 
F. Seymour. It stands on a hill naturally terraced, whicli com- 
mands a most beautiful view of the Mohawk valley for ten or 
fifteen miles east and west, and nearly as many miles north. 
Directly opposite the monument is the little village of Floyd 
Corners, and the white spire of its church gleams from among the 
trees. Many of the visitors came early in the morning, and as 
the exercises did not begin till 2 p. m., they seated themselves at 
the foot of the monument or on the edges of the terraces enjoying 
the view up and down the valley. To the dwellers in cities whose 



F 



192 DEDICATION OF ORISKANY MONUMENT. 

range of vision is hemmed in by brick walls, the scene was a very 
inviting one. The elevation is so great that although there was 
"but little shade, a cool breeze mollified the effects of the heat. In 
the foreground the boats on the canal, the numerous trains passing 
on the Central road, and the long line of visitors trudging their 
way up the hill from the boats and cars, formed a scene of 
animation. The green hills on the opposite side of the valley, 
thickly sprinkled with shady groves, and studded here and there 
with the white of farm houses and the red of farm barns, formed 
a fitting back ground to this scene of life. The blue hills on the 
extreme right and left completed the picture. From the railroad 
or canal where many of the visitors landed, the picture was 
scarcely less grand. On the top of the hill 100 feet high, rises the 
massive monument, its tall obelisk piercing the sky. 

In the immediate vicinity of the monument the scene was a 
stin-ing one. Near the road the ladies of St. Peter's Church, 
Oriskany, had a large tent, in which they served refreshments to 
the hungry crowd. 

The exercises were held on the north or shady side of the 
ftouument. Two large American flags w^ere draped above the 
roster tablet, and bouquets ornamented the tables on the platform. 

At 2.30 p. M., in the absence of Hon. Horatio Seymour, president 
of the Oneida Historical Society, Hon. Ellis H, Roberts, its vice- 
president, called the assemblage to order. 

The exercises were opened by the singing of "Des ist der Tag 
des Herrn," (It is the Lord's own day,) by the Utica Maennerchor, 
under the direction of Professor C. Sutorius. 

An ajjpropriate prayer was offered by ReA\ Dr. James H. Taylor, 
of Rome. 

Mr. Roberts then introduced Hon. John F. Seymour as the 
chairman of the committee on the building of the monument, who, 
he said, had labored with zeal, persistence and discretion, and to 
whom more than to any other single person, the credit is due for 
the finished work. 



PRESENTATION ADDRESS. 



BY JOHJS^ F. SEYMOUB, 
Chairman of the Committee on Monument. 



Mr. President and Members of the Oneida Historical Society : 

Soon after the Centennial Celebration of the Battle of Oriskany, 
in 1877, the Oneida Historical Society took measures to 
buy land, prepare plans and make contracts for the buildiug of a 
monument to the memory of General Herkimer and his compatri- 
ots who were engaged with him in that battle. 

For this purpose a special committee was appointed by the Soci- 
ety consisting of Alexander Seward, S. N. D. North, C. W. Hutch- 
inson, S. G. Visscher, and myself, as chairman. 

Many of the facts connected with this undertaking have already 
appeared in an interesting "Story of a Monimient," from the 
pen of Mr. S. JST. D. North, published in the present August num- 
ber of the Magazine of American History. It is not my purpose 
to repeat them but to commend the August number of tliat maga- 
zine to your attention for its pleasant and instructive reading. 

As some of you may not see that magazine, I must mention some 
facts which are essential to an understanding of our report. 

You have before you the result of our eiforts, in a monument, 
the top of which is 190 feet above the level of the water in the 
Erie canal in the valley below you. The pedestal and shaft of 
this monment are 85 feet high, built upon a foundation which is 
105 feet above the level of the canal. This foundation was built 
by ]Mr. William Jones, of Utica, a master mason, who has had the 
supervision of the whole of the work. Large as the pedestal and 
shaft appear, they contain less stone than the foundation beneath 
them. This foundation has a base of 24 feet and 4 inches 
square, with a top 20 feet and 2 inches square, and is laid in 
Portland and Howe's Cave cement 13 feet deep in the ground. 

The stone used for the foundation, for the shaft and for the 
backing of the granite pedestal is the limestone of the valley of 
the Mohawk and of Onondaga county, the gift of the people of 
this State to your Society for the purposes of this moniiment. It 
is all laid in the best of Portland and Howe's Cave cement and 



194 DEDICATION OF ORISKANY MONUMENT. 

with Schoharie sand. The pedestal is of granite, fi-om the Mt. 
Waldo Granite works of Maine. It is 19 feet high, 20 feet square 
at its base and 8 feet 3 inches square at its top. Upon this pedes- 
tal rests an obelisk 66 feet high. All of the masonry above the 
foundation is the work of Alexander Pirnie, of Remsen. On each 
side of the die of the pedestal is a bronze tablet six feet wide and. 
four and a half feet high. Two of the bronzes, in bas relief, tell 
their own story, of the wounded general directing the battle, and 
the mortal conflict between the Indian and the white man. Of the 
two remaining tablets, one is a dedication written by Professor 
Edward North, of Hamilton College, and the other is a roster con- 
taining the names of all those engaged in the battle on our side, as 
far as we can ascertain them — only 250 out of 800 — thus telling 
the deadly character of tlie conflict.* 

These tablets are the work of the National Fine Art Foundry, 
of tlie city of New York, carried on by Judge Maurice J. Power, 
who united with the Mt. Waldo Granite Works in the design and 
contract for the monument, dated July 4, 1882, and that con- 
tract was approved by the Society and ordered signed by your 
Recording Secretary, October 11, 1882. 

The Mt. Waldo Granite Works and the National Fine Art 
Foundry, have been paid in full, save a small sum kept back to 
secure the fulfillment of their contract. We bought of Mr. Wil- 
liam Riugrose five acres, (lacking thirteen rods,) of this battlefield, 
including the site of the monument, and have paid for the same • 
but by our contract we are imder obligation to fence it, and there 
are some unsettled accounts, and the accounts of the committee 
have not been audited, so that we can not state that everything is 
closed up. The cost of the land, and material, and labor, and 
fence, will not be less than $12,000. 

We are ready to give an account of our stewardship, and our 
work is so nearly completed that we think this anniversary of the 
Battle of Oriskany should mark the dedication of this monument, 
and of the park which surrounds it. 

It is proper to state that the resolution of the Continental Con- 
gress of 1777, was the foundation of our success in obtaining as- 
sistance from the General Government, as well as from the State 
of New York. That resolution was in the following words : 
^ ^^ Hesolved^ That the Governor and Council of New York, be 

*For the accompanying engravings of the pictorial tablets, -we are indebted to 
the courtesy of Mrs. Martha J. Lamb, the accomplished editress of the Magazine of 
American History. For Roster see Appendix. 



DEDICATORY INSCRIPTION ON BRONZE TABLET. 



HERE WAS FOUGHT 

THE BATTLE OF ORISKANY, 

ON THE Gth day OF AUGUST, 1777. 

HERE BRITISH INVASION WAS CHECKED AND THWARTED. 

HERE GENERAL NICHOLAS HERKIMER, 

INTREPID LEADER OF THE AMERICAN FORCES, 

THOUGH MORTALLY WOUNDED KEPT COMMAND OF THE FIGHT 

TILL THE ENEMY HAD FLED. 

THE LIFE-BLOOD OF MORE THAN 

TWO HUNDRED PATRIOT HEROES 

MADE THIS BATTLE GROUND 

SACRED FOREVER. 



THIS MONUMENT WAS BUILT 

A. D. 1883, IN THE YEAR OF INDEPENDENCE 107, 

BY GRATEFUL DWELLERS IN THE MOHAWK VALLEY, 

UNDER THE DIRECTION 

OF THE ONEIDA HISTORICAL SOCIETY 

AIDED BY THE NATIONAL GOVERNMENT 

AND THE STATE OF NEW YORK. 



PRESENTATION ADDRESS. 197 

desired to erect a mouument at Continental expense, of the value 
of five hundred dollars, to the memory of the late Brigadier Gen- 
eral Herkimer, who commanded the militia of Tryon county, in 
the State of New York, and was killed fighting gallantly in 
defense of the liberties of these States." 

There was no Oneida county then, and nothing here save a wil- 
derness. When we recall the poverty of that Continental Con- 
gress, its empty treasury, its worthless paper, its half-clad, half- 
fed soldiers, the destitution of women and cliildren, in which New 
York shared, we do not wonder that this resolution effected noth- 
ing at that time. 

Dire necessity and the struggle for the living, compelled a post- 
ponement of this tribute to the dead, until, at last, our independ- 
ence won, the tide of emigration crowding into and through this 
valley, compelled the making of stage roads, the grand Erie canal, 
the New York Central Railroad, and the telegraphic lines, all of 
which you see in the valley below you, monuments themselves of 
the enterprise of the people who constructed them, but not monu- 
ments for the dead. Congress slept over the resolution of 1777, 
and for many years resisted all awakenings in that direction. But 
after a time Historical Societies were formed, and among them, in 
187(3, our own appeared, and united her efforts with those of 
others in arousing the attention of our people to the important 
military history of New York. 

The approach of the Centennial years of the Republic gave 
power to these eftbrts, and early in the year 1877, at the request of 
citizens of Rome, this Society called a public meeting at Utica to 
organize a proper celebration of the Battle of Oriskany, upon its 
hundredth anniversary. 

This celebration was instituted by our Society, and invitations 
to it sent out broadcast, and such a response came up from every 
direction as was never before heard in this section of the State. 
Seventy-five thousand people appeared as by magic, and covered 
these hills " to honor the courage and devotion displayed here one 
hvmdred years ago." The speakers who addressed this great 
crowd of people, appealed to them " to see that the graves of dead 
patriots were marked by monuments." 

In answer to these appeals and in compliance with the wishes of 
our citizens, the Oneida Historical Society undertook to build the 
Oriskany Monument, Brief as the time has been since our suc- 
cessful undertaking commenced, there were those present at the 
Centennial who were greatly interested, but who have now passed 



198 DEDICATION OF OEISKANY MONUMENT. 

away. I will mention two councilors of tbe Society, the venerable 
Pomroy Jones, the Historian of Oneida County, who has died within 
a few days — and the benevolent Theodore S. Faxton — who, imme- 
diately after the Centennial, volunteered a contribution of -|200 to 
the Pi-esident of the Society. Also, the lamented Senator Web- 
ster Wagner, whose sad death is still fresh in the memory of our 
people, and whose generoiis subscription of |250 is the largest of 
the contributions obtained by the indefatigable Simms. 

Through the efforts of our representatives and friends in and out 
of Congress, the General Government finally honored the resolu- 
tion of the Continental Congress of 1777, by appropriating |500 
with interest, making $4,100, Avhich sum was placed in the hands 
of this Society. The Legislature of our State seconded this move- 
ment by appropriating i>3,000 conditional upon the raising of an 
equal sum by private subscription, and added the gift of the lime- 
stone in the Utica weigh lock. 

There was collected by J. R. Simms, $1,024. Other private 
subscriptions amounted to $3,743.37, making a total of receipts 
paid][to the treasurer, $11,867.37, and there are some accounts not 
collected. With this money your committee purchased and paid 
for^the land upon which we are assembled to-day, including the 
site of the monument. 

We broadened the purpose and scope of this monument, as in 
our subscription paper we had promised to do. It is not only a 
monument to the memory of brave General Herkimer, but also to 
the memory of his brave associates in the Battle of Oriskany. 
And now when the morning sun gilds the church spire in the vil- 
lage of Floyd, which you see on the hills across the valley, the 
roster of men of the Battle of Oriskany salutes the memory of 
General Floyd, and may well say you are justly immortal as one 
of the signers of the declaration of independence ; we also are im- 
mortal as among the makers of that independence.' Onr people 
were not ungrateful ; they were poor, but they stamped upon their 
homes the names of their benefactors — look beyond Floyd and you 
will see the town of Steuben ; look south and you see the town of 
Kirkland, and its college named after General Hamilton. 

I dare not attempt to mention the names of those whose patriot- 
ism and generosity have enabled us to build this monument. They 
will be found in the recoi'ds of the Oneida Historical Society. To 
all we return our sincere thanks ; but I am sure I shall be pardoned 
if I make mention of the late Jeptha R. Simms, of Fort Plain, 
who, before others had moved in this matter, commenced soliciting 



RESPONSE OF VICE-PRESIDENT EGBERTS. 199 

dollar subscriptions, and with great pains and many steps gath- 
ered one thousand and twenty-four dollars, and paid them over to 
our treasurer, Mr. Robert S. Williams. A record of the names of 
the dollar subscribers, with a statement of larger sums, was filed 
by him in the library of the Historical Society. 

And I must not fail to mention here that when we found our- 
selves in want of monej^ to pay for the roster tablet and for the 
bas-relief tablet of the combat between the Indian and the white 
man, an appeal was made by your President to some of our Ger- 
man citizens in New York. They at once sent him more than the 
sum required. We no longer call those tablets bas-relief, but high 
relief. 

Before closing this imperfect account of our work, I desire to 
thank the people residing in the vicinity of this monument for 
their uniform kindness and interest, and I only make known the 
wishes of you all when I express the hope that they may continue 
their interest, and be with you the protectors of this monument. 

And now, Mr. President, it only remains for us to commit to you 
and to the Oneida Historical Society the sacred care and keeping 
of this monument and these grounds. 

Mr. Roberts in accepting the monument, spoke briefly as 

follows: 

ADDRESS OF HOX. ELLIS H. ROBERTS. 

Ladies and Gentlemen : 

A duty and privilege long since recognized are now consum- 
mated. The battle of Oriskany is commemorated by a lasting 
token on its historic site, and the heroism of those who fought and 
fell on this ground, is told to all whose eyes shall turn hither 
while time records the passing years. For a century the story 
of the share of the Mohawk valley in the creation of the 
Republic, was preserved chiefly in local tradition and in the 
sybilline leaves of personal narrative or buried in ponderous 
chronicles. Seven years ago the scenes of the bloodiest battle of 
the Revolution were strongly drawn upon the original stage, and 
the actors took their place forever as real and as enduring as the 
river which flows yonder, as the valley which stretches beneath us, 
as the hills which crown this landscape. 

This monument stands at the gateway which nature has 
provided on the pathway across the continent. It overlooks the 



200 DEDICATION OF OEISKANY MONUMENT. 

waters which mark the channel of traffic and of power. This is 
our Thermopylae, our Marathon. No sturdier courage, no more 
profound consecration, no nobler cause decorates the historic pass 
of Thessaly, or that scene where 

" The mountains took on Marathon 
And Marathon looks on the sea." 

Here are the gates where foreign invasion received its first vital 
check when the fate of the continent was trembling in the balance. 
This is the sacred altar where one of the earliest and bloodiest 
sacrifices was made for American independence. Along this 
valley the red men had kept their confederacy, born of their 
necessities and their aspirations, and prophecy of a grander union 
yet to be. Into this valley flowed the tides of migration from all 
the chief countries of Europe. They formed the complex ranks 
of the brave army which Herkimer held against the flower of the 
British forces and their savage allies. The distinction of our 
commonwealth has its roots just here. To its soil union as well as 
freedom is native. Its population has always been the resultant 
of various streams with the strongest qualities of diSerent races. 
They gathered where the x\lmighty had placed the channels of 
movement for traffic and for peoples, and the seat of commanding 
pow'er. This was not Virginia and it was not New England, It 
was the embryo of the Empire State. It was the natural key to 
the original union, formed by its rivers and by its mountains. 
Strife and battle followed its waters; victory perched upon its 
hills and national life was nurtured in its valleys. 

In the center of New York this monument rises, solid, 
impressive, majestic in its memories and its teachings, in honor of 
some of the earliest and most useful martyrs to national inde- 
pendence, to blood precious both as sacrifice and as pledge of the 
broad humanity which must include all races — English and 
German, but also whatever else is best and richest in the old world 
or the new. Yonder at its feet run the messengers of the com- 
merce of this continent not only but of all lands. The industry 
of millions passes daily along these channels. The lightning 
flashes upon these wires whatever wealth or progress or prosperity 
or power thinks or purposes or dreams. Nature laid deep founda- 
tions, and drew its loveliest background, as if to make the place 
and scenery befit the grand event which was here enacted, and add 
to this granite structure rare comeliness and grandeur. 

The battle of Oriskany was one of the turning points in the 



RESPONSE OF VICE-PRESIDENT ROBERTS. 201 

military operations of the Revolution. St. Leger's defeat led to 
the surrender of Burgoyne. Both together encouraged the French 
to become our efficient allies. This proud shaft proclaims the 
profound and far-reaching meaning of that original conflict in the 
wilderness. It was a struggle, often hand to hand, for an 
independent Republic, now by the grace of God, free, great, 
continental, challenging the respect and admiration of mankind. 

On far eastern plains great events have been commemorated by 
like columns, by 

" The tapering monument, the Egyptian's pride. 
And wonder of tlie world, whose spiky top 
Has wounded the thick cloud." 

The waves of change have carried three of Egypt's imperial 
obelisks to three chief cities of modern nations. Paris, London, 
and New York study the strange characters traced upon the 
historic monoliths. Tiie monuments survive the dynasties which 
erected them. The events, the men, even the nation live anew in 
alien lands in the records of the sculptured rock. 

This imposing structui-e recalls the valor and the virtue of the 
common people. It crystalizes an initial chapter in our national 
life into this beautiful landscape. Like the event which it com- 
memorates it is here the dominant feature. It rises above the 
signs of industry and commerce and intercommunication. So may 
patriotism, so may devotion to humanity, so may far-reaching 
regard for the future to remote generations, stand supreme in the 
breasts of the hundreds of millions who in and through the 
Mohawk valley are to sustain the pillars of the Republic. 

Not here and now can fitting thanks be rendered to the mem- 
bers of the committee who have so diligently and wisely and 
tastefully performed a task which has awaited a century for such 
architects. They have well used the contributions of nation and 
State and generous citizens. Their work is their best commenda- 
tion. 

And now, Mr. Chaii-man, on behalf of the Oneida Historical 
Society, in the absence of that eminent statesman and beloved 
citizen who has himself done so much towards the achievement we 
now celebrate, it is my official duty, as it is a profound pleasure, 
to accept the costly and precious gift which you commit to its care 
and keeping. 

" Time shall not sweep this monument away, 
Time the destroyer ; no, nor dank decay. 
This not alone heroic ashes holds ; 
Our country's glory this earth-shrine enfolds." 



202 DEDICATION OF ORISKANY MONUMENT. 

Mr. Roberts closed by reading tlie following letter : 

Letter from Ex-Governor Seymour. 

Cazenoyia, August 2, 1884. 
Dear Sir: I am sorry I can not attend the meeting of the Oneida 
Historical Society on Wednesday next, when the Oriskany monument will 
be given over to its care, by the committee which has had charge of its con- 
struction. It will be an object of great interest for many reasons. It will 
be in full view from the great line of travel between the eastern and western 
sections of our country. It will recall to a multitude of minds an event of 
peculiar interest, not only on account of the character of the combatants, but 
of its great importance, as it was the first check to the invasion of Burgoyne's 
army, which threatened such disastrous results to our fathers in the 
Revolutionary struggle. The defeat of the British in this campaign has 
ever been regarded by historical and military writers as the turning point in 
the Revolutionary war. It will excite hereafter other interests. It was 
deep in the forests which overshadowed so much of our country when the 
battle with savages was fought. Its scene could only be reached by toilsome 
marches through a rude wilderness. Now the vast expanse between the 
Atlantic and Pacific coast is traversed by thousands of miles of railroad, 
which unite our great country by swift methods of intercourse. This 
monument not only reminds our people of past events, but it will also be 
suggestive with regard to their growth and greatness in the future. It will 
quicken feelings of patriotism through many coming j^ears. I think there 
are but few monuments in our laud which will recall more interesting 
memories of the past, or which will excite more interest with regard to the 
future. I congratulate the society upon the successful completion of the 
monument. I am sure all of its members feel that they have been more 
than repaid for their exertions to secure its erection. 

I am respectfully yours, 

Horatio Seymour. 
To Hon. E. H. Roberts, vice-president of Oneida Historical Society. 

The announcement was made that the only special invitations 
issued for this gathering were to the President of the United 
States and the Governor of New York. Mr. Cleveland's response, 
which was read by S. G. Visscher, of I\ome, a member of the 
committee, was as follows : 

ExECDTTVE Mansion, Albany, July 24, 1884. 
S. N. D. North, Esq., Secretary, dr. 

Dear Sir : I have received your invitation to be present at the dedication 
of the Oriskany monument on the 6th day of August next. 

I should be very glad to be present, but expect about that time to leave 
the city for a short and much needed vacation, and up to the time of leaving 
I must be closely confined to the capital by official duties. 

Yours, very truly, 

Grover Cleveland. 



DEDICATION OF ORISKANY MONUMENT. 203 

Mr. Yisscher also read the following dispatch from Maurice J. 
Power, contractor for the tablets of the monument: 

New Yohk, August 6, 1884. 
Hon. John F. Seymour : 

I greatly regret my inability to be present at the dedication of tlie monu- 
ment. Please present my congratulations to the committee on the successful 
achievement of their undertaking which completes Governor Seymour's 
long patriotic endeavor to erect an artistic and enduring memorial on the 
ground made sacred by the infinite sacrifice of Herkimer and his men. 

Maurice J. Power. 

The Utica JMaennerchor then sang " Wo ist das Deiitschen 
Vaterland?" (Where is the German's fatherland,) with good 
eftect. 

The dedicatory oration was then delivered by Hon. William 
Dorsheimer, of New York, and evoked frequent and hearty 
applause. 



DEDICATORY ORATION. 



BV HON. WILLIAM DORSHEi:\[ER. 



Mt. President, Ladies and Gentlemen : 

.You have assembled here to day to witness the completion of 
an undertaking long contemplated. On the 4th of October, 1777, 
the Continental Congress, then in session at Yorktown, Pennsyl- 
vania, passed a resolution in this language : 

" Mesclved, That the Governor and council of New York be 
desired to erect a monument at Continental expense, of the value 
of five hundred dollars to the memory of the late Brigadier 
Herkimer, who commanded the militia of Tryon county in the 
State of New York, and was killed fighting gallantly in defense 
of the liberty of these States." This resolution was transmitted 
to George Clinton, Governor, and to the council of the State of 
New York by John Hancock, President of Congress. In his letter 
Hancock said : " every mark of distinction shown to the memory 
of such illustrious men as offer up their lives for the liberty and 
happiness of the country, reflects real honor on those who pay the 
grateful tribute; and by holding up to others the prospects of 
fame and immortality, will animate them to tread in the same 
path." The resolution of Congress was not acted ujion by the 
government of the State. 

In 1827 Governor Dewitt Clinton in his annual message to the 
legislature called attention to this matter. After reciting the 
resolution of the Continental Congress he used the following 
language : " At the most critical period of the Revolutionary 
war, when the State was nearly surrounded with hostile 
forces, and when destroying armies were penetrating it in 
various directions, the gallant Herkimer fell on the field of 
battle, at the head of his patriotic neighbors. This exhibition of 
heroic virtue attracted the distinguished notice of Congress, but 
the situation of the times presented obstacles to an immediate 
compliance with their resolve. As there can be no reason for 
further delay I hope that this subject will occupy your early 
attention." 



DEDICATORY ADDRESS. 205 

A bill was reported in accordance with the governor's sugges- 
tion, but the legislature adjourned without taking final action 
upon it. The following year, 1828, Governor Clinton renewed the 
subject, but a number of similar projects wore suggested so that 
probably the bill became loaded down, to use a somewhat tech- 
nical phrase, and it failed to pass. 

Here the matter rested until after the celebration of the centen- 
nial of the battle of Oriskany. Soon after which event the 
Oneida Historical Society was organized, and the work of collect- 
ing the necessary funds was begun. As I understand it, some 
assistance has been given by the federal government and some by 
the State, and a considerable part has been subscribed by the 
residents in the Mohawk valley, in whose history the battle of 
Oriskau}^ is the most memorable event. Last autumn Mr. Horatio 
Seymour, of whose connection with this and other patriotic under- 
takings I shall have farther occasion to speak, wrote to a gentle- 
man in New York, who, although not descended from the German 
settlers in this region, was still of German origin, and asked him 
to present the subject to the German citizens of New York, with 
the view of obtaining subscriptions to complete the fund which 
was needed. The suggestion of Governor Seymour was acted 
upon and substantial subscriptions were promptly made by prom- 
inent residents of New York. Among those to whom application 
was made was Oswald Ottendorfer editor of the Staats Zeitung. 
Mr. Ottendorfer at once exhibited a great interest in the matter. 
He placed himself in direct communication with the committee 
and gave all the additional money that was necessary to complete 
the work. In this generous act Mrs. Ottendorfer took part. This 
lady has since died, but she has left in New York the memory of 
many acts of benevolence and patriotism. 

It was appropriate that the Germans, now active in the life of 
our State, should take part in the erection of this monument, for, 
as has been before remarked, it was upon this field that the 
colonists of German descent made their most important contribu- 
tions to the cause of American independence. It is agreeable to 
the pride of men to find that their kinsmen have wrought out 
great deeds in the past. The acts done here ; the suffering here 
endured; the deeds of valor here performed; the sacrifices here 
comj)leted, are of an importance second in value to no other 
achievements in the war of the Revolution. 

It was the aim of the English cabinet to cut off New England 
from the other colonies. The New England provinces were the 



206 DEDICATION OF ORISKANY MONUMENT. 

most populous and the wealthiest. The settlers there had all or 
nearly all been of the same race, and there was, perhaj)S, less 
ditferenee of opinion there as to the merits of the controversy than 
in New York and in some of the southern colonies. If Lake 
Champlain and the Hudson couUl be seized, intercourse between 
New England and New York and the regions to the south would, 
considering England's command of the sea, be difficult, and for 
the purpose of military operations, perhaps impossible. The plan 
of campaign was that the main army should descend Lake Cham- 
plain, and that an auxiliary force under Colonel St. Leger should 
enter the Mohawk valley at its head and gather to it the warriors 
of the Six Nations and the English sympathizers among the inhabi- 
tants of the region. St. Leger was then to march to Albany and 
make a junction with Burgoyne. It was a part of the plan that 
Lord Howe should ascend the Hudson and unite his troops with 
the other columns. Burgoyne swept in triumph through Lake 
Champlain. Ticonderoga fell almost without a blow. He reached 
the upper Hudson. All that was needed was a victory here. 

It is now seen that the success of all the operations depended 
upon the success with which St. Leger should perform his part of 
them, for there was no way in which the British array could be 
secure of its supplies unless it could draw upon the resources of 
this fertile country. The British ministry, it appears, fully 
realized this, and General Burgoyne afterwards indicated that he 
might have succeeded if St. Leger had come to his aid. But 
Congress and colonial generals seemed to have but a slight 
appreciation of the importance of St. Leger's movements. No 
reinforcements were sent to Fort Stanwix, which was the principal 
defensive position in the valley. It had been permitted to fall 
into decay. Its garrison consisted of seven hundred and fifty 
men commanded by Colonel Peter Gansevoort, who was a native 
of Albany and only twenty-eight years old, but who had served 
with distinction in Montgomery's expedition to Quebec. This 
force was stationed at Fort Stanwix with no reference to St. 
Leger's expedition, for when it occupied the fort in April no one 
in the colonies knew the British plan of campaign. Even after the 
enemy's purpose was known. Congress took no further action to 
defend the valley. General Schuyler understood the situation, 
but when after the battle of Oriskany he sent Arnold here in 
command of a considerable detachment, Ijis officers accused him of 
treason. There was, however, inducement enough for the 
patriots to defend their homes. They were threatened with the 



DEDICATOEY ADDEESS. 207 

familiar horrors of Indian warfare and also with the hatreds of 
civil strife. The greater part of the Indians sympathized with 
England, and a large part of the settlers were either English or 
of English descent. Sir William Johnson had passed his life here, 
and had long exercised a potent sway over all the inliabitants, 
both whites and Indians. Therefore, many of the people stood to 
the British crown. But there was in the valley a body of men 
who naturally were enemies to the English king. These were the 
Germans. They had come from the Palatinate, and had been 
driven from their homes by the armies of Louis the Fourteenth. 
They settled here about 1725. It was thought desirable that 
they should be located on the upper Mohawk, in the Indian 
country, to defend the settlements at the east, because they were 
accustomed to have their houses burned. 

A leader among these emigrants was a certain John Jost 
Herkimer. His name was properly spelled Herchheimer, the 
ending of the name clearly showing its Rhenisli origin ; but it had 
been anglicized, a process to which many oilier German names 
have been compelled to submit. He was the father of General 
Nicholas Herkimer. The year before, on the otli of September, 
General Nicholas Herkimer had been appointed brigadier general 
of the militia of the county of Tryou. This commission was 
issued by the New York convention tten in session at Fishkill. 
Upon Herkimer therefore depended the resistance which the 
inhabitants were to make to St. Leger's advance. He was about 
forty-eight years old. He was a man of substantial character, 
sound judgment and of general popularity. He had no military 
knowledge or experience whatever, but the event proved that he 
had the valor and coolness which are the very foundations of 
soldierly qualities. 

As soon as St. Leger appeared at Oswego, Herkimer issued a proc- 
lamation to the people of the Mohawk valley calling them to arms. 
They gathered together at Fort Dayton near the mouth of West 
Canada creek. When one reads the roster of Oriskany he learns 
that most of those who obeyed the call were the children of the 
German emigrants, but among them were men of English, Irish, 
Welsh and French blood and a considerable number of Scotch- 
men who lived in Cherry Valley. St. Leger invested Fort 
Stanwix on the 3d of August. Under his command were Sir 
John Johnson, a native of the valley; Colonel John Butler, 
brother-in-law to Sir John ; and more important, Joseph Brant^ 
chief of the Mohawks, and a man of remarkable endowments both 



208 DEDICATION OF ORISKANY MOJNTUMEJS^T. 

of mind and character. There was no dehiy in the patriot 
camp, they icnew it was better to meet the savai^es at the gate. 
On the 4th of Auo;ust, Herkimer began his march at the head of 
eight hundred men. That day he crossed the Mohawk river, near 
where Utica now is, and on the afternoon of the 5th he reached 
Whitestown. An Indian woman, the widow of Sir William 
Johnson, liad seen the gathering at Fort Dayton, and sent St. 
Leger timely notice of Herkimer's expedition. He at once sent 
forward the tories and Indians to arrest Hei'kimer's progress. 
According to the method of Indian warfare they made an 
ambuscade here in yonder ravine, and in the woods which then 
covered these slopes. On the morning of the 6th, Herkimer's men 
were marching in careless order, not apprehensive of peril, when 
suddenly the forest was filled with savage shouts and ablaze with 
the deadly flames of battle. One can imagine how dismayed 
those farmers were. But they did not give way as Braddock's 
regulars had done. Better that those shouts of hell should fall 
upon men's ears ; here in the forest far away from the women and 
children on the farms below. Better to fight here, to die here, if 
only the tide of war could thus be stayed and those they loved 
saved from torture, and a fate far worse than death, and so the 
German farmers set themselves to work. It was well they had so 
little knowledge of the usual methods of war. They knew no 
discipline the loss of which could embarrass them. They took 
post behind the trees and fought as their enemies fought. 
Herkimer was wounded soon, his white horse was killed, and so he 
told them to put his saddle across a fallen tree, and he sat upon 
it and smoked his pipe and directed the fight. A few fled, a few 
were captured, but most remained. For five long hours the con- 
test lasted. In the midst of it a thunder storm burst upon the 
struggling hosts. More than two hundred of the patriots were 
wounded or dead, and still the Mohawk settlers held their ground. 
At last the savages lost heart, and suddenly gave way, leaving 
the field in Herkimer's hands. In truth those steadfast Germans 
had wrought a noble deed. They had shown the qualities of their 
race. They are brothers of those who have followed Gustavus 
and Frederick and Blucher and Moltke. 

The farms below were safe; safe w^ere wives and children, and 
the land, too, was saved, for here a blow, fatal to the invader, had 
been struck; a blow of far reaching and world wade consequences. 
The battle was destructive to St. Leger's purpose. It excited the 
enthusiasm of the country. The new^s came to Washington and 



DEDICATORY ADDRESS. 209 

to Congress, giving them encouragement at a time of depression 
and anxiety, and a strong column, under the command of General 
Arnold, was dispatched to the valley to raise the siege of Fort 
Stanwix. St. Leger did not wait long for Arnold's coming, and 
on the 22d of August he raised the siege and retired to Oswego. 
His expedition had ended in complete disaster. He lost his equip- 
ment and most of his artillery. 

1 have briefly and summarily brought to your minds events, the 
details of which have been lately presented to you with complete 
clearness and learning. I have done so in order that they may 
appear in their proper relation to other events. 

A few days after the battle of Oriskany, Bennington was 
fought ; on the 6th of September at Stillwater, Burgoyne's ad- 
vance was arrested, and on the 17th of October, at Schuylerville, 
he surrendered. The capture of Burgoyne led to the most im- 
portant results. Franklin had for some time vainly urged the 
cause of the colonies at the French court ; but France was not too 
eager to encounter England's power. These victories gave new 
force to Franklin's diplomacy, and presently his persuasions and 
the generous example of LaFayette prevailed. France became 
our ally and sent both fleets and armies to our aid. The queen, 
herself a German princess, was specially interested in our cause, 
and under her patronage the first French fleet was fitted out. You 
who live here, therefore, are thus associated with the history of 
one of the greatest of the European states. 

The American alliance brought grave consequences to France. 
The Frenchmen learned from us lessons which they soon sought 
to apply at home. Forces were introduced into the politics of 
France which caused internal dissensions, overthrew the monarchy 
and brought the king and queen and the chiefs of the nobility to 
the scaffold. Just as the waters which flow from these hills con- 
tribute to the floods of the Hudson and the sea, so have the his- 
toric acts of your ancestors added to the mighty and destructive 
tides of European revolutions and wars. 

The people of this valley have ever since lived in the path of 
memorable events. The Hudson and the Mohawk open the only 
pass south of the St. Lawrence through the Alleghany mountains. 
Here began the internal commerce of the covmtry. The statesmen 
of New York soon realized the duty which their situation devolved 
upon them. The future of the State could not be accomplished 
through the imperfect channels of lakes and rivers, and so an arti- 
ficial waterway was designed and constructed. Many of the men 



210 DEDICATION OF OEISKANY MONLTMENT. 

who did this work lived here. Prominent among them was Henry 
Seymour, the first of his family to win the distinction in our State 
which the name has ever since worn. This enterprise was not con- 
ceived in any narrow or in any merely utilitarian spirit. It was 
announced in the act of the Legislature which called it into being, 
as a work which would strengthen the union of the States and 
contribute to their strength in war as well as to their commerce 
in peace. 

But the most hopeful imagination could hardly have foreseen 
the results both material and moral which the construction of the 
Erie canal produced. It has been a source of wealth to our cities. 
As soon as it was finished New York sprang from the second to 
the first place. It has ever since poured into her lap the har- 
vests of the west. One might compare its waters to those fabled 
springs which the Spanish adventurer sought and which were to 
give mankind perennial youth. But the moral results have been 
far more remai-kable. The Mississippi empties into the Gulf, and 
when sectional divisions arose between the States and divided them 
sharply into north and south by a line which ran from the Atlantic 
to the Rocky Mountains, it was the common opinion in the rebel- 
ling communities that the States of the northwest were firmly 
bound by the Mississippi to a confederation with the south, which 
could not be broken. But the Mississippi no longer flowed to the 
Gulf. The genius of New York had turned it out of its channel, 
and its waters found the seas through the highlands and the pali- 
sades, and when the hour of trial came, the northwest was seen to 
be bound to the east by bonds sti'onger than any which nature 
had made. 

Through this valley potent influences have gone out to all the 
Western countries. Not only throngs of emigrants, Americans 
and foi'eigners, but other forces more powerful perhaps than liv- 
ing men. You have sent to them examples of government ; meth- 
ods of creating great corporations and forms for their manage- 
ment; new modes of legal procedure and new systems of judicial 
organization. 

There is now no English speaking community which has not 
upon its statute books the very language of laws which were first 
framed here. The most distinguished of your citizens is fond of 
calling to mind that the waters which fall upon the hills of New 
York flow into many States. Some into the St. Lawrence, 
others into the Hudson, the Susquehanna, the Delaware and the 
Mississippi. And so those living waters which carry civilization 



DEDICATORY ADDRESS. 211 

and freedom with them, have gathered here and flowed forth to 
remote lands and distant peoples. 

New York has never been contented nor much occupied with in- 
terests exclusively her own. Her representatives in the national 
councils are never called upon to protect her interests, nor to ask 
that her welfare shall be regarded at the expense of other commu- 
nities. Siie has found her prosperity, as she has found her great- 
ness, in the general good. No harvests will ripen upon the upper 
Mississippi, no cotton will mature at its mouth, no herds of cattle 
will grow fat in Colorado or Dakota without adding to her 
wealth. No disaster can come upon the most distant of the sister- 
hood without injury to her. 

Ladies and Gentlemen: I will not conclude my observations 
without reference to a topic which seems to me to be peculiarly 
appropriate to this time and place. It used to be remarked that 
New Yorkers were indifferent to the history of their State. Our 
writers did not seem to be interested in our annals as the men of 
letters in New England were in their history. This had not always 
been the case. At the beginning of the century, Washington 
Irving had delighted his countrymen by a humorous narrative of 
early Dutch history, and he had afterwards peopled the banks of 
the Hudson and the recesses of the Catskills, with quaint 
characters and attached to the mountains and the river weird and 
fantastic traditions. Cooper had found new fields for romance 
Tipon Lake George and in the neighboring countj'- of Otsego. 
Among the Indians of this region he had also found characters 
new to letters, which have excited and which still excite, the 
wonder of young imaginations in every civilized country. 

But afterwards, there came a time when local interest seemed to 
fade away. Whether this was because of the immigration of 
strangers from New England and from Europe, or whether 
because we were occupied with business, it is difficult to say. It 
suffices for my purpose to point out the indifterence which New 
York showed to her history, by far the most eventful of any 
American community. Lately the public feeling has greatly 
changed. There is no longer any reason to complain of a 
lack of appreciation by the people of New York of the events 
in which their ancestors took part. I think this change is mainly 
due to the effi3rts of a gentleman who lives in this county, and 
who certainly has been the leader in the revival of historic interest. 
It is hardly necessary for me to mention the name of him whom I 
have in mind. Horatio Seymour has in his own career perpetuated 



212 DEDICATION OF ORISKANY MONUMENT. 

the inllucuce and the command which the people of the Mohawk 
valley have always had. He has recounted with an eloquence and 
learning which no one else possesses, the events of which this 
comitry has been the theater. He has impressed the lessons of 
them upon your minds by powerful and beautiful illustrations. 
He remains among you to-day a sharer in the patriotic enthusiasm 
wdiich he has done the most to evoke. God grant that he may 
long be spared to enjoy the respect which is felt for him every- 
where, but especially here where it has grown up despite the 
adverse influences of party strife and political differences. Your 
pride and aflections are not with the dead alone. You are inspired 
by the eloquence and taught by the example of living men. 

Gentlemen of the Oneida Historical Society : Your work is 
completed. To-day you dedicate this structure to the memories 
it perpetuiates and the lessons which it teaches. May it realize the 
wish that Hancock expressed, and "by holding up to others the 
prospects of fame and immortality animate them to tread the 
same path." It will be for the people of the Mohawk valley to 
remember the trials endured here, the triumphs won here, and to 
emulate the example here wrought out. May this people be 
always in the van as their fathers were, and may there always be 
among them great leaders in the history of our land. 

The Old ITtica band then played a medley of national airs, 
"Hail Columbia," "The Star Spangled Banner," and "Yankee 
Doodle." 

The Utica Maennerchor followed in a pleasing selection, "Schlaf 
Wohl." 

Otto E. C. Guelich was then introduced as the representative of 
the German societies of the Mohawk valley. He was cox-dially 
received and spoke as follows: 

ADDRESS OF O. E. C. GUELICH. 

Supreme peace reigns now on these bills. From this monument 
of the brave deeds of those who more than a century ago, laid 
the foundation of the liberty, the symbols of whicli now tower at 
our side, we now look down upon a scene of peaceful quiet and 
thriving industry. 

And these are the same hills and yon is the same romantic 
Mohawk valley where once brother fought against brother, and 



ADDRESS OF O. E. C. GUELICH. 213 

this brother in union with savage tribes. Here brother spilt the 
blood of brother, and on this same spot pioneers of liberty broke 
the yoke of the proud Briton, and if they had to purchase it with 
their lives, still undaunted they fought, and the banner of liberty 
which now protects these realms, was the glorious result. In vain 
would it be, even if time permitted us, to repeat what history 
tells us about the bloody feuds which commenced in the Revolution 
in Tryon county. Let us only briefly refer to the declaration 
which in the spring of 1775 was conceived at Johnstown and 
widely distributed and circulated by the tories, in which their 
opposition to the Continental Congress became evident; and how, 
soon after, the committee of the Revolutionary party at Palatine 
on May 18th, directed a letter and petition to Albany, in which 
they expressed their fears and mistrust against the sentiments of 
the declaration of the tories, referring in strong terms to the 
spirit of strife and murder awakened by this declaration in the 
breasts of their allies, the Indians — and requesting, nay begging, 
urgently for ammunition and guns. 

It is not our aim to describe the events, which in consequence of 
this declaration crowded upon history: the bloody feuds, the 
deeds of horror, murder and arson, the suiferiugs and endurances 
of the heroes of the Revolution up to the time of the engagement 
at Fort Stanwix and Oriskany. All these events we will have to 
pass, and can onlj'' remember their actors in brief as the heroes of 
libei'ty, animated by the highest impulses. 

These men of the Mohawk valley, mostly Germans and Dutch, 
or of German and Dutch descent, did not ask how great the 
sacrifice. They knew the bloodthirsty, cunning and treacherous 
deceit of the savage hordes. They knew of the union of their 
chief Brant with Guy Johnson, whose deeds of horror hardly find 
their equal in the annals of history. They were well aware of 
the fact that England's powerful money, distributed by English 
agents, tried to overpower the whole Six Nations. 

They knew all this, and still their valor did not pale, but 
with prophetic eye looking toward victory they overcame all 
difiiculties. Therefore, we Germans born from these heroes, feel 
our bosoms swell with just pride, and our hearts fill with glad 
gi'atitude in remembrance of the brave deeds of our ancestors, 
who were willing not only to sacrifice all their possessions but 
their very lives on the altar of liberty. Their guiding star was 
Justice and right ; and their actions showed that wise counsel and 
good judgment were mingled wilh the enthusiasm of the heroes. 



214 DEDICATION OF ORISKANY MONUMENT. 

Time does not permit us any attempt to describe the heroic 
endurance of the champions for liberty during the next bitter two 
years. Here were Sir John Johnson with his family, Colonel Claus 
with his family, with VOO Indians, 400 regulars and 600 tories, 
awaiting Butler's arrival from Niagara, to open the high council of 
war, which in their estimation, should destroy the last ray of hope 
for the Revolutionists. Already the arrival of General Burgoyne, 
with his numerous army of 7,500 well disciplined men, a host of 
Canadians and a great number of Indians from Ticojideroga, had 
compelled the Americans, under General St. Clair, to forsake the 
fort and to retire with their few 4,000 to Fort Edward. 

It was the intention of General St. Leger to take possession of 
this fort, as well as of Fort Stanwix, while both were protected by 
only a small garrison, and from there to push on to Johnstown, 
there to make his headquarters, and in unison with General Bur- 
goyne to make flank movements, and thus to cut off the American 
army. 

This was the decree of the high council at Oswego, and the plan 
of action was diligently and secretly communicated to those of the 
inhabitants who favored the British caiise. Amidst these difficult 
surroundings General Nicolaus Herchkeimer issued on July 17, 
1777, his proclamation for calling out recruits to defend liberty's 
sacred rights. 

Every male of sound health between the ages of 16 and 50 was 
called upon to take up arms for the good cause, and all weak and 
aged to also eqiiip themselves and remain behind for the pro- 
tection of the women and children, and those who did not 
obey the proclamation were to be placed under guard, and arms 
given to them, that they might be attached to the general 
army and brought against the enemy. Not much time was to be 
lost, because already on the 30th of July, Thomas Spencer wrote: 
" Within four days the royal troops expect to be before Fort Stan- 
wix. The time is short and precious ; rise and come to the de- 
fense !" They knew not the regular training of a soldier, they had 
no experience of war, but were full of love for liberty and animated 
by the highest impulse to protect their homes and their loved ones. 
Such were the warriors which General Herchkeimer led against 
the enemy. Fraught with sutierings was the way he led them 
through forests and ravines, through the Mohawk valley, which 
we see down below us, up to the theater of war. Civilization had 
not progressed so far yet, and all these fields and valleys were then 
still in their original state of uncultivation, only well known to the 



ADDRESS OF O, E. 0. GUELICH. 216 

Indians, They knew every nook and corner of the Mohawk val- 
ley, every ravine and every hiding ph\ce from where they could 
break in upon the unsuspecting, bringing death and destruction 
with them. 

Under these difficulties General Herchkeimer and his small body 
of men traversed the valley before us, till he came to this spot. 

Scarcely had the first division reached the hill, when from out 
the surrounding thicket, as if ascending from the depths of the 
earth, arose Brant's savage hordes. With their terrible war-cry, 
which chilled the blood in the hearts of the bravest, these dusky 
devils, in all their naked wildness, broke upon the army of Gen- 
eral Herchkeimer, like a horde of demons broke loose from Satan's 
kingdom. Armed with tomahawk and battle-ax, they fell upon 
the unsuspectingly advancing body of our ancestors. 

Colonel Visscher's regiment at the time of this attack, was still 
on the east side of the hill, so that the army was divided into two 
parte, and before the troops could be rallied together the Indians 
were upon them. Their only alternative was to fight the best way 
possible. And they did fight, the soldiers seeking protection behind 
the trees in the thickets of the forest, from where they could reach, 
the Indians with their bullets. But these, when they noticed that 
their antagonists were all posted singly, waited their opportunity, 
when the soldiers were loading their rifles, and broke upon them 
unawares, cutting them down with their tomahawks. As soon as 
General Herchkeimer noticed this, he ordered his men to go in 
parties of two and alternately load and shoot. 

This stratagem had soon the desired result, for already the 
Indians began to fall back before the steady and well directed^ 
fire of the soldiers, when suddenly Major Watts with a detach- 
ment of " Johnson's Greens" appeared on the scene. The arrival 
of these former fugitives from the country stirred up the blood in 
the heart of each of our German heroes, and with renewed 
strength and fresh valor, they seek vengeance, and as if inspired 
by some heavenly power they throw themselves in the battle. 
And now louder and louder roars the battle, hotter and hotter 
waxes the strife, but above the howling and roaring, 
God, the Almighty, hears the prayer of his children bleeding for 
liberty and fighting to break the bonds of slavery's shame. 

' ' Urgeist des Lebens, des Welt balls Regierer, 
Der die milliardea der Sterne schuf, 
Du der Nationen Allmachtiger Fuehrer, 
Hoer Dein Kinder Verzweiflungs-ruf." 



216 DEDICATION OF OEISKANY MONUMENT. 

This was the prayer of the poet who filled the hearts of our 
forefathers with that spii'it of liberty, which led them to 
overcome all difficulty, in liberty's sacred cause; and with sword 
and fire to break tyranny's bonds, not caring, whether like 
Samson, in its fall, it would crush thom also. Onward ! 
Onward! was their cry, if to destruction! Liberty is dawning 
through the cloud. Is it not true, that on the same spot where 
we stand, brother had to fight brother in league with savage 
hordes — and we, who are standing now on the ground where the 
ashes and bones of our forefathers rest, slain in their struggle for 
that liberty in which we glory, let us remember the blood that 
flowed on these green fields, and while we glory in that supreme 
feeling of liberty, let us think of those whose valor and spirit 
saved us from bondage. Their names, engraved upon this monu- 
ment, will live in the hearts of the thankful people of these 
realms long after our own spirits have flowu to those unknown 
grounds from whence there is no return. 

The Spartans were ready to fight in the shadow of the arms of 
their enemies — but was the valor of these warriors for liberty less 
than that of the Spartans? 

Can history show a braver man than General Herchkeimer, 
when his horse having been shot from under him and his leg 
shattered to pieces by a ball, he sits calmly on the saddle, which 
from the back of his valiant charger has been transferred to the 
ground, smoking his pipe and giving his orders to his little troop 
of heroes, whose valor and bravery brought the turning point of 
the great Revolution ? Let us therefore rememxber their endurance 
and their victories, for they created for their children and iheir 
children's children, for the oppressed of all the universe an 
asylum of liberty. 

Hiinmellioch set der erhoben 
Der Beim Krachen eiuer Welt 
Bei der elemente Toben 
Wie em Gott sich aufreclit liaelt. 

The exercises concluded with the singing of "The Star 
Spangled Banner " by Williamson Spruce, whose ringing voice 
was heard by,all. The crowd then slowly dispersed. 



EXTRACTS FKOM S. G. VISSCHER. 217 

EXTRACTS FROM S. G. VISSCHER. 

The following appropriate and suggestive passages by Mr. 
Visscher, one of the niouument committee, are taken from an 
article published at the time of the dedication, in the Roman 
Citizen : 

The monument which we have erected will speak to coming ages 
a mass of useful truth, such as no other mode of transmitting 
facts can furnish. Its foundation, laid deep in the soil, and 
cemented with ingredients which, when applied, are as yielding 
and pliable as man's generous nature, have become as hard and 
unyielding as the stones which they unite; and furnish a fit 
emblem of the government which is of the people, for the people, 
and by the people; but which will resist any encroachments upon 
its rights, as rocks resists the billows and the sky. 

This is the first memorial in the Mohawk valley which is erected 
to mark a battle field. Not far to the north of us is a pile, stand- 
ing in the midst of the rocks and shades of its forest home, which 
speaks with quiet but eloquent force to the upturned face, of one 
who came to us from the army of Frederick the Great, with its 
splendid equipage and matchless discipline, to partake of the hard 
fare, and labor in the unequal conflict, which gave us our liberty. 
Like a large proportion of the men who fought at Oriskany, he 
was a German; and the modest mausoleum which covers his 
remains is a fit companion of the one whose foundation is under 
our feet. Green be the memory and honoi'ed the name of Baron 
Steuben: 

Away back in the distant ages, when the morning stars sang 
together, some of the striking and important events of history 
were commemorated in the land of the chosen race by the erection 
of monuments. In the book of Genesis, we have two accounts of 
Jacob erecting them, and subsequently Joshua and Samuel did the 
same, to commemorate a signal victory over the Philistines. We 
can very approprinteiy quote the language of Israel's Great 
Judge, to show our warrant, if one is needed, for performing the 
pious as well as patiiotic work which is before us this day. 
"Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpeh and 
Shen, and called the name of the place Eben-Ezer, saying, hitherto 
hath the Lord helped us." — Yst Samuel vii. 12. And Egypt, old 
Egypt, the land of mystery and the cradle of the race, now a dis- 
membered fragment of its ancient glory, and until quite recently 



218 DEDICATION OF ORISKANY MONUMENT. 

held in the grasp of a rapacious and revengeful mob, how numerous 
and stately are her landmarks, which everywhere rise in gloomy 
grandeur in the land of the Nile. One of them, a stately old link 
wiiich connects the present with the long past, has been brought 
to our shores, and stands upon our own soil ; an imperishable 
monolith, whose curious but interesting hieroglyphics reveal to us 
something of the heart of the Pharaohs, and the polity of the 
most remarkable people of antiquity. And over other lands, the 
highest civilization, the broadest culture, and the truest patriotism, 
are told us by the voiceless but stately sentinels, aroimd whose apex 
the eternal sunshine settles, as the halo about the head of the 
divinity whose sleepless eyes witnessed their erection. 

The contemplation of this work animates anew the interest we 
all feel, in the memory of the fathers of the Revolution. We can 
never tire of the story which gave us our freedom, and established 
a government which challenges the admiration of the world. We 
love to think of the eight hundred who braved the dangers and 
endured the sufferings which make the spot we stand upon so 
sacred to us all. We will not sit in judgment upon their military 
skill nor criticise mistakes which true hearted men may make, by 
yielding to hasty and impulsive counsel ; nor recall the heated 
colloquy which perhaps led to some disaster; but look back of all 
that, to the patriotism which prompted, and the impetuous 
chivalry of the commander who moved onward regardless of con- 
sequences, at a critical juncture, to relieve the gallant little 
garrison which was holding its own against the merciless horde of 
savages, and tories worse than savages, which invested Fort 
Stanwix. 

The patriotic spirits who watched and waited for seven long 
years for their enemies to withdraw from the land, did more by 
patience, forbearance, and suffering, than by agressive violence on 
hotly contested battle fields. Indeed there were very few 
sanguinary conflicts, although the battle of Saratoga is classed as 
one of the fifteen decisive battles of the world. It was Putnam 
leaving his plow in the furrow, seizing his weapons, and jumping 
upon his horse to take part in the erection of works upon Bunker 
Hill; and Washington at Yalley Forge, with tracks of blood from 
shoeless feet upon the snow crust ; and hunger and want on every 
side, with a worthless currency, added to the constant appre- 
hensions of treachery, which ended finally in the treason of 
Arnold. It was Marion subsisting upon roots in the forests of the 



EXTRACTS FROM S. G. VISSCHEK. 219 

Carolinas, aucl Sumpter bivouacking in the swamps of the Santee. 
It was the spirit of the brave Herkimer, with Gansevoort and 
Willett, and the families of Sammons, Klock, Fonda, Snell, 
Veeder, Wagner, Wemple, Dievendorf , Vrooman, Starin, Bellinger, 
Clyde, Clemmens, De Graff, Dunkel, Frey, Fox, Gray, Merkley, 
Roof, Seeber, Woolover, and others, more than space will allow 
me to mention, whose names, however diverse from modern 
orthography, appear upon one of the tablets of this monument^ 
furnishing imperfectly but substantially the Roster of Oriskany; 
families who flew from one stockade fort to another, went to 
church with their guns and ammunition ready for any emergency 
which might call for their use, in a struggle hand to hand with 
their oppressors, who finally achieved our independence. 

And now, having achieved it, and for so long a time enjoyed its 
blessings, what shall we do to perpetuate and strengthen it? 
These stones laid one upon another will finally ci'umble to dust, 
and the thousand memories of this and the years past, filled as 
they have been with patriotic utterances, will be forgotten. But 
the monument of Horace, who sang the praises of the golden age, 
will live while time lasts. "I have builded a monument," he 
wrote, "more lasting than brass, and more sublime than the regal 
elevation of the Pyramids, which neither the wasting shower, the 
unavailing north wind, or an innumerable succession of years and 
the flight of seasons, shall be able to demolish."* Was he fore- 
casting in this singularly prophetic language the destiny of our 
Republic? If so, we have something to do to make good his 
words and give practical shape to these stirring sentences. 



*Exeg-i monumentum acre perennius, Regalique situ pyramiduin alius. Quod 
non imber edax, non Aquillo impotens. Possit diuere aut innumerabilis, Annonim. 
series et fuga temponim. 



APPENDIX. 



THE ORISKANY ROSTER, 

AS INSCRIBED ON THE BRONZK TABLET. 



Brigadier Oeneral. 

Nicolaus Herclilieimer. 
Colonels. 

Peter Bellinger, 

Ebenezer Cox, 

Jacob G. Klock, 

Frederick Vissclier. 

Lieut. Coloneh. 

Friedrich Bellinger, 

Samuel Campbell, 

Peter Wagner, 

Heinrich Walratb. 

Brigade Major. 

Joliann Frey. 

Majors. 

John Blevin, 

John Eisenlord, 

Enos Klappsattel, 

John Newkirk, 

"Wilhelm Sieber. 

Harmanus Van Slyck. 

Surgeons. 
Dr. Wilhelm Petry, 
Dr. Moses Younglove. 

Captains. 
Jacob Baumann, 
George H. Bell, 
Johaun Brodbeck, 
Adam Copeman, 
John James Davis, 
Wilhelm Deichert, 
■ Johann Demuth, 
Heinrich Diefendorf, 
Andreas Dillenbach, 
Christoph P. Fox, 
Christoph W. Fox, 
Jacob Gardinier, 
Christian Haus, 
Friedrich Helmer, 
Qeorg Herchheimer, 



Samuel Pettingall, 
Nicolaus Rector, 
Jacob Sieber, 
John Visscher, 
Robert Yates. 

Lieutenants. 
Josei)h Bailey, 
Robert Campbell, 
Samuel Clyde, 
Samuel Gardinier, 
Samuel Gray, 
Peter Groot, 
Jost Haus, 
Georg Helmer. 
Peter Loucks, 
Daniel McMaster, 
Dietrich M. Petrie. 
Han Jost Petrie, 
Wilhelm Petrie, 

Richard Putman, 

Abram D. Quackenbush, 

Johann Jost Scholl, 

Jeremiah Swart, 

Heinrich Timmermann, 

Martin C. Van Alstyne, 

Jacob Voltz, 

Peter Wagner, Jr. 
Privates. 

Jacob Alter, 

Abram Arndt, 

Melchert Bauder, 

Jacob Baumann, 

Adam Bellinger, 

Johann Bellinger, 

Wilhelm P. Bellinger, 

George Henry Bell, 

Joseph Bell, 

Nicholas Bell, 

Peter Berge, 

Samuel Billington, 



ORISKANY ROSTEK. 



221 



Joliann Boyer, 
Major Blauwaldt, 
Naome Brooks, 
Jacob Clemens, 
Samuel Cone, 
Peter Covenhoven, 
Isaak Covenhoven, 
John Cook, 
William Cox, 
Jacob Collier, 
Andrew Cunningham, 
Benjamin Davis, 
Martinus Davis, 
Thomas Davy, 
Johann Dachstadter, 
Heindrich Decker, 
Emanuel DeGraaf, 
Georg Deichert, 
Johann Deichert, 
Peter S. Deichert, 
Johann Diefendorf. 
Peter Dorn, 
Garret Dunckel, 
Nicolaus Dunckel, 
Peter Dunckel, 
Peter Ehle, 
William Ehle, 
Jacob Em pie, 
Johann Eyster, 
Jacob Fehling, 
Heinrich Fehling, 
Heinrich N. Fehling, 
Conrad Voltz, 
Peter Voltz, 
Adam Fonda, 
Karl Fox, 
Christoph Fox, 
Fried rich Fox, 
Peter Fox, 
Wilhelm Fox, 
Valentin Froelich, 
Samuel Gardinier, 
Georg Goertner, 

■ Graves, 

Nicholaus Gray, 
Silas Gray, 
Lorenz Gross, 
Conrad Hahn, 
William Hall, 



Marcus Hand, 
Heinrich Barter, 
Johann A. Harter, 
Johann Adam Helmer, 

Hiller, 

Christian Hufnagel, 
Abel Hunt, 
John Huyck, 
Judah Jones, 
Andreas Keller, 
Jacob Keller, 
Solomon Keller, 
Adam Kessler, 
Jacob Kessler, 
Johann Kessler, 
Conrad Kilts, 
Peter Kilts, 
Jacob Klapsattel, 
John J. Klock, 
Eichard Kopernell, 
Georg Kraus, 
Robert Kraus, 
Francis Lighthall. 
George Light hall, 
Georcre Lindner, 
Heinrich Lohnu.s, 
Solomon Longshore, 
Conrad Mauer, 

Mauer, 

Mauer, 

Jacob Merkel, 
Wilhelm Merkel, 
Jacob Meyer, 
Jost Meyer, 
Adam Miiller, 
Heinrich Miiller, 
Jelles Miiller, 
Johann P. Miiller, 
David Murray, 
Christian Nellis, 
Johann D. Nellis, 
Phillip Nellis, 
Peter Nestel, 
Garret New kirk, 
Friedrich Eyer. 
Isaak Paris, (Member 

gress,) 
Peter Paris, 
Johann Petrie, 



Prov. Cott- 



222 



APPENDIX. 



Johann Mars Petrie, 
Joseph Petrie, 
Cornelius Philips, 
Nicolaus Pickard, 
Adam Price, 
Martinus Put man, 
Jacob Raduer, 
Georg Raspnor, 
Friedrich Rasbach, 
Marx Rasbach, 
Jacob Ritter, 
Willard Rose, 
Johann Roth, 
Johannes Ruf, 
Jacob Sammons, 
Samson Sammons, 
Henry Saanders, 
Wilhelm Schaefer, 
Johann Schell, 
Christian Schell, 
Christian Scherer, 
Pedagogus Scherer, 

Schimmel, 

Heinrich Scholl, 
Georg Schultz, 
Johann Schultz, 
Thomas Schumacher, 
Heinrich Seitz, 
Peter Seitz, 
Adolph Sieber, 
Adolph Sieber, Jr., 
Rudolph Siebert, 
Johann di. Silberbach, 
George Smith, 
Friedrich Schnell, 
Georg Schnell, 
Jacob Schnell, 
Jacob Schnell, 
Johann Schnell, 
Johann Schnell, Jr., 
Joseph Schnell, 
Peter Schnell, 



Sophronious Schnell, 

Peter Sommers, 

Thomas Spencer, (Indian,) 

Heinrich Staring, 

Frederick Stevens, 

Philip G. Stowitz, 

Henry Thompson. 

Adam Thumb, 

John Van Antwerp, 

George Van Deusen, 

Cornelius Van Horn, 

Henry Van Horn, 

Nicholaus Van Slyke, 

Hendrick Veeder, 

Harmon Visscher, 

Georg Wagner, 

Jacob Wagner, 

Johann Wagner, 

Johann Wagner, 

Garret Walrath, 

Jacob Walrath, 

Georg Walter, 

Jacob Weber, 

Peter J. Weber, 

Peter Westermann, 

Michael Wiedrich, 

Abram Wohlhoefer, 

Johann Wohlhoefer, 

Peter Wohlhoefer, 

Richard Wohlhoefer, 

Lorenz Wrenkle, 

Robert Yates, 

Nicholaus Yerdon, 

Jacob Yonker, 

Heinrich Zimmermann, 

Jacob Zimmermann, 

Conrad Zimmermann, 

Capt. Han Yerry Tewahangaraglx- 

kan, Indian officer, 
Lt. Colonel Louis Atyataroughta, 

Indian officer. 



C0NTEIBUTI0N8. 223 



CONTRIBUTORS TO THE ORISKANY MONUMENT. 

United States of America $4,100 00 

Theodore S. Faxton, Utica, 200 00 

Horatio Seymour, Utica, 150 00 

John F. Seymour, Utica, 100 00 

Charles W. Hutchinson, Utica, 100 00 

Theodore S. Sayre, Utica, 100 00 

Helen E. M. Williams, Utica, 100 00 

Simon G. Visscher, Rome, 100 00 

Bloomfield J. Beach, Rome, 100 00 

John B. Jervis, Rome, 100 00 

Samuel Campbell, New York Mills, 100 00 

Remington Brothers, Ilion 100 00 

Samuel and Robert Earl, Herkimer, 100 00 

James Shanahan, Tribe's Hill 100 00 

Peter Gansevoort's Estate, Albany, 100 00 

J. Morris Childs, Utica, 50 00 

Arphaxed Loomis, Little Falls, 50 00 

D. H. Burrell, Little Falls, 50 00 

Erastus Corning, Alliany, 50 00 

Citizens of Johnstown, ... 50 00 

William J. Bacon, Utica, 30 00 

Samuel S. Lowery, Utica, 25 00 

Truman K. Butler, Utica, 25 00 

Henry D. Pixley. Utica 25 00 

Robert S. Williams, Utica, 25 00 

Daniel E. Wager, Rome, 25 00 

Enoch B. Armstrong, Rome, 25 00 

John M. Barton, Rome, 25 00 

A. Ethridge, Rome, 25 00 

John Stryker, Rome, 25 00 

George A. Hardin, Little Falls, 25 00 

L. Carryl. Little Falls, 25 00 

William Smith, Little Falls, 25 00 

Robert H. Pruyn, Albany, 25 00 

J. G. Bissell, Rome, 20 00 

J. S. Hovey, Rome, 15 00 

Oeorge Westcott, Utica 12 50 

Publius V. Rogers, Utica, 10 00 

C. W. Darling, Utica, 10 00 

J. Milton Butler, Utica, , 10 00 

Gertrude M. Palmer, Utica, .... 10 00 

Theodore F. Gardner, Bouffemont, France, 10 00 

Lewis H. Shattuck, Utica, 5 00 

John G. Brown, Utica, 5 00 

Elon Comstock, Rome, 5 00 

WiUiam Evans, Rome 5 00 

Amount carried forward $6,372 5© 



224 APPENDIX. 

Amount brought forward, $6,373 50 

William Hovey, Oriskany, $5 00 

Mr. Zimmerman, Dunliirk, 5 00 

Ezra Graves, Herkimer, 4 87 

. 14 87 

$6,387 37 
Jeptha B. Simms' Collection. 

Webster Wagner, Canajoharie, $350 00 

Jobn H. Starin, Fultonville, 100 00 

Nathan D. Wendell, Albany, 50 00 

Arkell & Smith, Canajoharie 50 00 

Stephen Sanford, Amsterdam, 50 00 

Joseph White, M. D , Canajoharie, 35 00 

John F. Gray, M. D., New York, 25 00 

Wm. B. Diefendorf, Root, . . 25 00 

John Bowdish, Rural Grove 25 00 

Davis W. Schuler, Amsterdam, 10 00 

Warner, DeForest & Co , Amsterdam,.. . , 10 00 

Jacob P. Fox, Palatine, 10 00 

C. P. Snell, Palatine, 6 00 

Enoch Snell, St. Johnsville, 5 00 

Levi Snell, Minden, 5 00 

Peter P. Snell, Mauheim, 5 00 

Simeon Snell, Manheim, 5 00 

Joshua Snell, Manheim, 5 00 

Jehoram Snell , Manheim, 5 00 

Jacob Sneil, Fonda 5 00 

Peter B. Snell, Palatine, 5 00 

Christian Snell, Palatine, 5 00 

Eeuben Gramps, Palatinp, 5 00 

Norman Timnierman, Little Falls, 5 00 

James Spraker, Canajoharie, 5 00 

C. W. Flutchinson. TItica, 5 00 

John Winning, Fort Plain, 5 00 

Adam L. Failing, Fort Plain, 5 00 

John E. Lips, Fort Plain, 5 00 

Catharine Diefendorf, Fort Plain, 5 00 

Elizabeth Diefendorf, Fort Plain, 5 00 

William H. Davis, Palatine Bridge, 5 00 

Gardiner Blood, Amsterdam, 5 00 

Jas. H. Schuyler, Amsterdam, 5 00 

David D. Cassidy. Amsterdam, 5 00 

Walter L. Vanderbergh, Amsterdam, 5 00 

James A Miller, Amsterdam, 5 00 

Gardner & Thomas, Amsterdam,. 5 00 

John Kellogg, Amsterdam, 5 00 

George Timmerman, St. Johnsville 5 00 

Amount carried forward, $771 00 $6,387 37 



CONTRIBUTIONS. 



225 



Amount brought forward, $771 00 $6,387 37 

Alfred DeGraff, Fonda 5 00 

Jeptha R. Simms, Fort Plain, 3 50 

Azariah Saltsman, Palatine 2 50 

Mrs. Christopher Reed, Fort Plain, 2 00 

Dr. Douglas Ayers, Fort Plain, 2 00 

John Hand, Amsterdam, 2 00 

Contributors of .$1 each, of whom about 200 were 
residents of Montgomer}' county. The names of 
nearly all these are given in Mr. Simms' record, 
preserved in the Society's archives. But as the 
list is not complete and would occupy much space, 
it is omitted here. Doubtless many of these 
contributors would have given a larger sum if 

requested 236 00 

1,024 00 

The Fort Plain Bank allowed $48.94 for interest on the deposit of 
Mr. Simms' collections, with which he canceled his expenses 
in printing, traveling, postage, &c., (of which he rendered a 
detailed account,) and he was thus enabled " to place in the 
Monument fund every dollar collected " by him in his five 
vears' effort. 



State of New York, 3,000 00 

Oswald Ottendorfer and Family, Anna Ottendorfer, Edward Uhl, 
Emma Schalk, Annie Woerrishoffer, Nettie WoerrishofEer, 
Henry Villard, George Wolfram, August Belmont, Wm. 
Dorsheimer, Steinway & Sons, S. Schlesinger, and J. & L. 
Sommerhofc, New York, per Oswald Ottendorfer and Wm. 
Dorsheimer, 1,356 00 

German Associations, of Utica, per O. E. C. Guelich, 43 50 

Oneida National Bank, for Interest, 200 00 

Received for Stone sold, 92 25 

Total, $12,103 13 



226 



APPENDIX. 



RESIDENT MEMBERS, 

OF THE ONEIDA HISTORICAL SOCIETY, 1885. 

Bj^ Art. 4 of the Constitution. Resident Membership expires if the annual Dnefl, 
$3, are unpaid on the second Tuesday of January in each year. 



Adams, Charles D , Utica. 
Bacon, William J., Utica. 
Bagg, Moses M., Utica. 
Bagg, Egbert Jr., Utica. 
Bailey, E. Prentiss, Utica. 
Batch elor, Daniel, Utica. 
Barnard, Charles E., Utica. 
Beach, Bloomtield J., Rome. 
Benliam, Thomas L. , Utica. 
Benton, James, Utica. 
Bigelow, Horace P. , Waterville. 
Bigelow, Dana W., Utica. 
Bissell, John G., Rome. 
Bulger, Patrick F. , Utica. 
Butler, Charlers A., Utica. 
Campbell, Samuel, New York Mills. 
Clark, George A. , Utica. 
Childs, J. Morris. , Utica. 
Childs, Elias, Utica. 
Christian, William H., Utica. 
Conkling, Roscoe, Utica. 
Cooper, G. Edward, Utica. 
Cooper, Henry H., Utica. 
Crocker, John G. , Utica. 
Churchill, G. Clarence, Utica. 
Curran, Edward, Utica. 
Curran, George L. , Utica. 
Darling, Charles C, Utica. 
DeAngelis, Pascal C. J., Utica. 
Dimon, George D., Utica. 
Dorrance, Daniel G., Oneida Castle. 
Dubois, George, Utica. 
Earll, John L., Utica. 
Egar, John H., Rome. 
Fincke, Frederick G., Utica. 
Foster, Abbott, Utica. 
Foster, David S., Utica. 
Grannis, Charles K., Utica. 
Gray, John P., Utica. 
Gray, Israel J., Utica. 
Griffiths, T. Solomon, Utica, • 
Goodwin, Alexander T., Utica, 
Goodwin, Daniel B., Waterville. 



Goodale, John A., Utica. 
Guelich, Otto E. C, Utica. 
Guiteau, Luther, Trenton. 
Hartley, Isaac S , Utica. 
Holbrook, Henry J., Utica. 
Horsey, George F., Utica. 
Hopper, Thomas, Utica. 
Hoyt, John C, Utica. 
Hunt, Ward, Utica. 
Hunt, James G. , Utica. 
Hurlburt, Frazier W., Utica. 
Hutchinson, Charles W., Utica. 
Hutchinson, Edwin, Utica. 
Ingalls, Frederic C, Utica. 
Jackson, William B. , Utica. 
Jones, Morven M. , Utica. 
Judton, Henry R., Utica. 
Kernan, Francis, Utica. 
Killgore, Charles, Utica. 
Klock, George S., Utica. 
McMillan, Andrew 
McQuade, James, Utica. 
North, Edward, Clinton. 
North, S. N. Dexter, Utica. 
Osborn, Amos O., Waterville. 
Parker, Timothy, Utica. 
Pratt, Frederick J., Utica. 
Peckham, Merritt, Utica. 
Peckham, S. Townsend, Utica. 
Phelps. J. D., Utica. 
Proctor, Thomas R , Utica. 
Roberts, Ellis H,, Utica. 
Roberts, John Evan, Utica. 
Roberts, Alexander B., Utica. 
Rogers, Publius V., Utica. 
Roseboom, J. Livingston, Utica. 
Rowlands, William R , Utica. 
Rowley, Warren (\, Utica. 
Sawyer, George C, Utica. 
Sayre, Theodore S., Utica. 
Sieboth, Joseph, Utica. 
Seward, Alexander, Utica. 
Seymour, Horatio, Utica. 



STANDING COMMITTEES. 



227 



Seymour, John F. , Utica. 
Silsbee, William, Trenton. 
Swan, Joseph R. , Utica. 
Schreiber, John C, Utica. 



Visscher, Simon G., Rome. 

Wager, Daniel E., Rome, 

Walcott, William D., New York Mills. 

Waterman, Daniel, Utica. 



Sherman, Richard U., New Hartford, Watson, William H., Utica. 



Spencer, Thomas W. , Utica. 
Btimson, William G., Utica. 
Scovill, James V. H. , Utica. 
Tourtellot, Louis A., Utica. 
Tower, Charlemagne, Philadelphia. 
Thomas, George R., Utica. 
VanEmbergh, Thomas, Utica. 

LIFE MEMBERS 



Wells, Lucien B., Utica. 
Williams, Robert S., Utica. 
Williams, Rees G., Utica. 
White, William M., Utica, 
White, N. Curtis, Utica. 
Wood, Frances G., Utica. 



Darling, Charles W. 
Guiteau, Frederick W. 
Mclntyre, Donald 



Thomson, Milton H. 
Walker, George 



STANDING COMMITTEES OF THE SOCIETY. 

Committee on Finance. 
Ellis H. Roberts, P. V. Rogers, Geo. D, Dimon, George H. Thomas.- 

Committee on Library and Exchanges. 
R. S. Williams, Abbot Foster, F. C. Ingalls. 

Donations and Collections. 
Wm. M. White, D. G. Dorrance, H. P. Bigelow. 

Property and Fi.rtures. 
A. McMillan, W. C. Rowley, W, H. Christian. 

Addresses and Pxibiication. 

Alex. Seward, S. N. D. North, G. C. Sawyer. 

Geological and Natural History Cabinet. 



E. Hutchinson, W. H. Watson, 

Biography and Historical Material. 
M. M. Bagg, Jas. McQuade, 

Statistics. 
A. T. Goodwin, 



I. J. Gray. 



G. C. Churchill. 



Rees G. Williams. 



E. P. Bailey. 

Membership. 
John L. Earll, ^ F. W. Hurlburt, David S. Foster. 

Special Standing Committee on Oriskany Monument. 
John F. Seymour, Alex. Seward. C.W. Hutchinson. 

S. N. D. North, S. G. Visscher. 

Special Standing Committee on Early Utica Publications. 
Alex. Seward, Robert S. Williams, M. M. Bagg, D. E. Wager. 



228 APPENDIX. 

PUBLICATIONS OF THE SOCIETY. 

1. Centennial Celebration of the Battle of Oriskany : 1877. 

2. Historical Fallacies regarding Colonial New York, by Douglas 

Campbell. Annual Address : 1879. 

3. The Men, Events, Lawyers, Politics and Politicians of Early Eome, by 

D. E. Wager : 1879. 

4. Articles of Incorporation, Constitution, By-Laws, Officers, Members and 

Donors of the Society and Proceedings of Annual Meeting : 1879, 

5. Early History of Oneida County, by William Tracy. Annual Address: 

1880. 

6. Transactions of the Oneida Historical Society, with Annual Address and 

Reports for 1881, Paris Re-interment and Papers read before the 
Society from 1878 to 1881 : 1881. 

7. Semi Centennial of the City of Utica and Supper of Half-Century Club: 

1882. 

8. A Long Lost Point in History, by L. W. Ledyard. Annual Address: 

1888. 

9. Col. John Brown, by Rev. Dr. G. L. Roof : 1884. 

10. Transactions of the Oneida Historical Society, 1881 to 1884, containing 
Whitestown Centennial, Whitesboro's Golden Age, Wagner Re- 
interment, Old Fort Schuyler Celebration, and Dedication of the 
Oriskany Monument : 1885. 

Addresses Before the Society Since April, 1881. 

1881. May 31. — Early History of Mohawk Valley : Rev. Dr. Lintner. 

Read by C. W. Hutchinson. 
December 7. — Golden Age of Whitesboro : D. E. Wager. 

1882. January 10. — New York Historical Society. Annual Address : Dr. M. 

M. Bagg. 
February to May. — Golden Age of Whitesboro : D. E. Wager. 

1883. January 9. — A^Long Lost Point in History. Annual Address : L. W. 

Ledyard. 

April 10. — Extracts from Journal of a first Sandwich Island Mis- 
sionary: Mrs. Maria S. Loomis. Read by A. Seward. 

May 8.— Political Poem: John H, liOthrop. Read by M. M. Bagg. 

June 5, — Antiquities of Ontndaga: Rev. W. M. Eeauchamp. 

September 11. — Eulogy on George P. Marsh: Rev. Dr. S. G. Brown. 

October 9. — Familiar Talk about Mexico: Dr. E. Hutchinson. 

November 13.— The Streets of Utica: L. M. Taylor. 

December 11 — Cannibalism: C. W. Darling. 

1884. January 15. — Social System of our New York Indians. Annual 

Address: Rev. Dr. Charles Hawlsy. 
February 12, — Ardent Utica: Geo. C. Sawyer. 
March 31.— Memorial of S. Wells Williams: T. W. Seward. 

Extracts from Military Journal of Col. Frederick Visscher: 
S. G. Visscher. 
April 38.— Col. John Brown: Rhv. Dr. G. L. Roof. 
November 24. — Fort Stan wix and other Forts at Rome : D. E. Wager. 

1885. January 13.— The Greek Idea of the State. Annual Address: Prof. 

Edward North. 



LfcFe '06 



